Safety belt buckle



Feb. 24, `1970 w. KRENGEL 3,495,615

' SAFE BELTf-ucxnn Filed Aug. 24, 1966 A 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 24,1970 w. KRI-:NGEL

SAFETY'BELT BUCKLE Ffa 5.

2 Sheets--Sheetv 2 Filed Aug. 24, 1966 ZvvE/vrvo/Q. Mun/w Kes/van.

VUnited States Patent Oliice 3,496,6 l Patented Feb. 24, 1970 3,496,615 SAFETY BELT BUCKLE William Krengel, Reseda, Calif., assignor to Cummings &

Sander, Inc., Pacoima, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Aug. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 574,821 Int. Cl. A44b 19/00 U.S. Cl. 24-230 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A safety belt buckle of the metal-to-metal type having a metal base including upstanding sidewalls interconnected by generally flat web portion and receiving a pre.-

means which may comprise an integral release lever and catch plate member retained and mounted within the buckle base by unitary retainer and mounting assembly. Assembly of the buckle is facilitated through the provision of a tongue plate locking and push button release means which may be preassembled with a unitary mounting, retaining, and biasing means.

Push button and pivoted release handle safety belt buckles previously employed have generally required the provision of rivets, pins, fasteners or complicated interlocking of parts to hold the buckle parts in assembled relation. While it is old to pivotally mount a combination release lever and catch plate within a buckle base to releasably lock an inserted tongue plate (Elsner U.S. Patent No. 2,864,145) none of the prior buckle constructions have provided a tongue plate locking means which can be merely inserted into one end of a buckle base to thereafter operably receive and releasably lock therein a tongue plate inserted into the other end of the buckle base.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to disclose and provide a tongue plate locking means which may be pre-assembled and merely pushed in or otherwise inserted into one end of a buckle base, adapted to receive such pre-assembly through one end and a tongue plate through the other, to releasably lock an inserted tongue plate inserted through the other end of the buckle base.

It is another object of the present invention to disclose and provide a pre-assembled locking means as in the foregoing object wherein the pre-assembly includes an integral release lever and catch plate member and a unitary means for mounting, retaining and biasing the lever into operative position after their pre-assembly and insertion into the buckle base.

It is a further object of the present invention to disclose and provide a pre-assembled locking means as in the foregoing objects wherein the buckle base is provided with opposed stop means between which the inserted preassembly may be positioned to be maintained in operative position and so that application of load to the locking means tends to seat it more lirrnly within the buckle base.

It is a still further object of the present invention to disclose and provide a pre-assembled locking means as in the foregoing objects wherein the unitary means for mounting, retaining and biasing the release or push button lever and catch plate member includes means for pivoting the foreward end of the lever and catch plate member on the buckle base and biasing an opposite free end upwardly thereof while mounting and retaining it in operative position within the buckle base.

These and further objects and various advantages of the buckle construction with pre-assembled tongue plate releasable locking means according to the present invenassembled tongue plate locking and push button release i5 tion will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the -following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings in which:

FIG. l is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of safety belt buckle with an exemplary embodiment of the novel pre-assembled tongue plate releasable locking means according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a section view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 taken therein along the plane II-II showing the tongue plate held in locked position;

FIG. 3 is a partially sectioned view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2 showing the buckle parts in tongue plate release position;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2 taken therein along the plane IV-IV;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the exemplary safety belt buckle construction of FIGS. 1 through 4 showing the novel pre-assembled tongue plate releasable locking means, indicated generally at 15, in its preassembled relation prior to insertion into the buckle base, indicated generally at 10; and

FIG. 6 is a detail perspective view of the exemplary tongue plate releasable locking means indicated generally at 15 in FIG. 5 showing the exemplary integral release lever and catch plate member, indicated generally at 12, prior to its pre-assembly to the exemplary unitary retainer and mounting means indicated generally at 13.

Referring first to FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be seen that the metal-to-metal safety belt buckle of the exemplary embodiment includes a buckle base, indicated generally at 10; an apertured cover plate, indicated generally at 11; an integral release lever and catch plate, indicated generally :at 12; a unitary combination retainer and mounting means indicated generally at 13; and ian adjustable snubber bar means, indicated generally at 14.

According to the present invention, the integral release lever and catch plate, indicated generally at 12, and the unitary retainer and mounting means, indicated generally at 13, are pre-assembled into a pre-assembled tongue plate locking means, indicated generally at 15, which may be simply inserted into the buckle base through an end thereof opposite to the end tongue plate 16, as seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, is to be inserted.

The buckle base, indicated `generally at 10, is provided with a pair of spaced, upright generally parallel opposed side walls 20 and 21 integral with land interconnected at their lower extremities by the generally at base web 22. Web 22 is provided with a strap receiving aperture 23 to receive a strap 24 therethrough, as best seen in FIG. 2.

Each base side wall 20 and 21 is provided at its upper extremities with an in-tegrally formed inturned ange 26 and 27, respectively. Inturned flanges 26 and 27 extend inwardly of the buckle base in vertically spaced generally parallel relation to the base web portion 22.

A combination stop and guide end wall 28 is provided at the forward end of the buckle base for stopping forward insertion of the pre-assembled tongue plate locking means, indicated generally at 15, on its insertion into the buckle and for guiding an inserted tongue plate 16 into Ithe buckle base spaced above the base web 22, Stop and guide end Wall 28 is preferably formed integrally with the buckle base and extends generally perpendicular to the plane of the base web transversely thereof between the base side falls 20 and 21. As seen in FIG. 5, such wall 28 need not extend all the way between the side walls 20 and 21, although preferably, as in the exemplary embodiment, it extends across a major portion of the front end of the buckle base.

A second stop means is also provided in the buckle base for holding the inserted pre-assembled tongue plate locking means, indicated generally at 15, in the base after its insertion therein. In the exemplary embodiment, such second base stop means includes the provision of a lanced, upset, pierced or otherwise formed projection 29 formed integrally out of the base web to present a generally vertical second stop wall 30 (seen in FIG. 5) spaced from and opposed to the former or rst base stop wall 28. The pre-assembled inserted locking means, indicated generally at 15, may be resiliently snapped or inserted in between the lirst and second base stop walls 28 and 30, respectively, after its assembly into the buckle base to be laterally retained within the buckle.

In the exemplary embodiment, the buckle base is provided with an apertured cover plate which is merely snapped on after the insertion of the locking means, subsequently described. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, the forward ends of the inturned ilanges 26 and 27 are provided with integral upset ar-m portions 33 and 34 under which an inturned depending ange 3'5 on the forward end of the cover plate, indicated generally at 11, is positioned on assembly of the cover to the base. The base inturned flanges 26 and 27 in the exemplary embodiment are provided with cutout portions 31 and 32 in a region thereof above the strap aperture 23 to provide clearance for strap 24 when entrained about the inserted snubber bar means, indicated generally at 14, as seen in assembled relationship in FIG. 2

The rear end of the cover plate is provided with a depending -ilange or rear closure plate 36. Rear closure plate 36 is preferably formed integrally with the cover plate and is provided with cutouts at 37 and 38 (as seen in FIGS. l, 3 and 5) into which rear portions of the base inturned flanges 26 and 27 are received when the cover plate is snapped down onto the buckle base into the assembled relation of FIGS. 1 through 4.

The cover plate may be provided with an aperture 17, surrounded by an embossed portion 18, through which the inserted pre-assembled tongue plate locking means indicated generally at may be manipulated after its insertion into the buckle base and after the cover plate has been assembled to and snapped down onto the buckle base.

Referring to FIG. 6, the exemplary embodiment is provided with an integral release lever and catch plate member, indicated generally at 12, which includes a push button portion 40 formed integrally with the catch plate portion 41. Push button 40 is interconnected by and spaced above catch plate portion 41 by the generally vertical wall 42. Catch plate portion 41 is provided at its forward end with a depending pivot foot 43 and a generally intermediate portion with an upstanding catch 44.

Catch 44 may be formed out of the catch plate 41 to provide an upstanding convex or cam surface facing forwardly of the buckle to facilitate insertion of the tongue plate into the buckle, the leading edge of the tongue plate 16 to fcoming over the catch and depressing the lever. As seen in FIG. 3, the cam-shaped upstanding catch 44 provides a rearwardly facing abutment surface 45 adapted to engage and lockingly receive the tongue plate 16, abutting the tongue plate abutment surface 46, as seen in FIG. 2.

Catch plate 41 is provided with a tongue stripper aperture 47 immediately behind the catch portion 44 to allow a tongue stripper element 64, as subsequently described, to support the tongue plate and facilitate its separation from the catch 44 upon depression of the push button portion 40, as seen in a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3.

The integral release lever and catch plate, indicated generally at 12, is pre-assembled to a unitary combination mounting, retainer and biasing means, indicated generally at 13, according to the present invention. As seen in FIG. 6, in the exemplary embodiment, such unitary combination mounting, retainer and biasing means includes a body 50 having spaced upright side walls 51 and 52 interconnected at their lower extremities by a central web 53. The

body side walls 52 and `51 are provided at their upper extremities with inturned flanges 54 and 55 respectively. The body 50, including its web 53, side walls S1 and `52 and inturned flanges 54 and 55, is sized and given a configuration to be slidably received within the web 22, spaced side Walls 20 and 21, and inturned flanges 26 and 27 of :the buckle base, indicated generally at 10.

Means are provided for pivotally retaining the forward or rst pivoted end or foot `43 of the combination lever and catch plate, indicated generally at 12, on the retainer and .mounting means, indicated generally at 13. In the exemplary embodiment, such means comprise a pair of inwardly extending opposed tabs or flanges 56 and l57 provided on the body side Walls 52 and 51, respectively. Tabs or pivot ilanges 56 and 57 are spaced above web 53 and extend inwardly of the body side walls to receive forward portions of the combination push button and catch plate member thereunder, as seen in assembled relationship in FIG. 5.

A forward cutout zone or recess l58 (FIG. 6) is preferably provided in the forward end of the web 53 to allow the pivot foot 43 of the combination push button lever and catch plate member forward end to pivotally abut the buckle base web, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the preasse-rnbly, indicated generally at 15, has been inserted into the buckle base. Recess or cutout zone 58 also assists in the retention of the combination push button and catch plate member or lever, indicated generally at 12, on the retainer and mounting means, indicated generally at 13, by engaging or abutting the foot 43 and holding it against rearward shifting within the buckle base.

Biasing means are provided in the exemplary embodiment as an internal part of the combination retainer, mounting and biasing means, indicated generally at 13, for biasing the combination push button lever and catch plate, indicated generally at 12, away from the buckle base web 22 toward the cover plate aperture 17 to releasably engage and lock a tongue plate 16 within the buckle, as seen in FIG. 2. In the exemplary embodiment, such biasing means includes the provision of spring arm means extending outwardly of the body web 53 between the body side walls 51 and 52 to underlie and bias the free end of the push button lever and catch plate away from the body web and buckle base web. Such spring means includes the provision of a pair of spring arms 59 and 60. Spring arms 59 and 60 are preferably formed integral with the body 50 and extend rearwardly and upwardly of the web 53. Arms 59 and 60 are bent upwardly of the web, permanently deformed into such upwardly extending positions, to provide a constant resilient spring bias to the lever and catch member, indicated generally at 12, as shown in FIG. 2.

Each spring arm 59 and 60 is also preferably provided with a generally vertical upstanding finger or stop means 61 and l62, respectively, on the outer extremity thereof. Stop means 61 and 62 are adapted to abut rear portions of the combination lever and catch plate member on its assembly into the unitary retainer and mounting member, indicated generally at 13, as best seen in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the vertical lingers, tabs or stop means 61 and 62 can be seen adjacent the vertical wall portion 42 of the combination lever and catch member abutting rear portions of the catch plate 41 which are opposed to the forward foot portion 42. The lever or combination member, indicated generally at 12, is thereby not only upwardly biased by the spring arms 59 and 60 but is prevented from lateral shifting within the buckle base by the arm extensions or stops 61 and 62.

Tongue stripper means are also preferably provided in the exemplary embodiment to maintain the tongue plate 16 spaced above the buckle base web during depression of the push button portion 40 to facilitate release of the catch 44 from the tongue plate. In the exemplary embodiment, such tongue plate stripper means includes the provision of a generally horizontal flange 64 provided on the upper end of a generally vertical wall 65, formed integrally with the web 53. The stripper flange 64 may -be seen protruding up through the tongue plate stripper aperture of the catch plate 41 in the pre-assembly, indicated generally at 15, in FIG. 5.

Snubber bar means, indicated generally at 14, are also provided which may be readily and easily inserted into the buckle base after insertion of the tongue plate locking means and retained therein by the entrained strap 24. As best seen in FIG. 5, such snubber bar means may comprise a generally U-shaped bar retainer or mounting means 70 including sides 71 and 72 interconnected by web 73. Slots 74 and 75 in the bar retainer sides 71 and 72 receive flattened ends 76, 77 of a conventional knurled bar 78.

It can be seen from the foregoing that the assembly of the complete safety belt buckle, according to the present invention, is easily and securely accomplished because of the novel construction and cooperation of the few buckle parts employed. The buckle base may be formed in known manner into an integral, low profile buckle base having web, side wall and inturned fianges. According to the present invention, the integral push button and catch plate lever or member, indicated generally at 12 is pre-assembled to the combination mounting, retainer and biasing means, indicated generally at 13, with the foot 43 received in cutout 58, the catch plate 41 pivoted under the tabs or flanges 56 and '57, the tongue stripper 64 protruding through catch plate aperture 47 and rear portions of the catch plate 41 being upwardly biased and longitudinally restrained by the spring arms 59 and 60 and their respective stops or fingers 61 and 62. This pre-assembly is easily accomplished manually, even by unskilled or inexperienced assembly workers. The pre-assembly, indicated generally at 15 in FIG. 5 then constitutes a tongue plate locking means ready to be inserted into the buckle base.

After pre-assembling the lever or member, indicated generally at 12, to the combination mounting retainer and biasing means, indicated generally at 13, the pre-assembly or locking means, indicated generally at 15, is then inserted into the rear end of the buckle base over the web 22, between side walls 20 and 21 and beneath the inturned flanges 26 and 27. The pre-assembly or locking means preferably slides easily, but not loosely into the base. The pre-assembly is inserted until the forward end thereof abuts or is adjacent the base forward stop wall 28 with the combination means vertical wall 65 snapped over and down beyond the upstanding stop 29 in web 22. Oh such insertion, the locking means or pre-assembly is securely, positively and operably assembled into the buckle base, ready to releasably lock an inserted tongue plate therein without the need for additional fasteners, pins or holding means to maintain it in its operable position.

The snubber bar means, indicated generally at 14, may then be merely slid into the rear end of the buckle base and the belt strap 24 entrained through aperture 23 about knurled bar 78. The cover plate, indicated generally at 11, is then positioned over the base with its depending front fiange 35 under the base flange arms 33 and 34, and is pushed down onto the base until the rear closure plate 36 snaps under the rear portions of the base inturned flanges.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the tongue plate 16 mounted to a second safety belt strap 25 is very securely held or locked within the buckle on its insertion therein. The leading edge of the tongue plate is guided into the buckle by the spaced cover plate fiange 35 and base vertical stop wall 28 between the side walls 20 and 22. On entering the buckle base, the tongue plate passes into the preassembled locking means between the body side walls 51, 52 abutting the cam surface of catch 44. The entire lever, indicated generally at 12, is depressed against its spring bias as the tongue plate is pushed into the base until the tongue plate aperture passes over catch 44 and the spring arms 59 and 60 bias the lever upwardly placing catch 44 within the tongue plate aperture, catch abutment surface 45 abutting tongue plate abutment surface 46. The

catch plate portion may be provided 'with upwardly extending projections or stop arms 48 and 49 on either side of catch plate 41 to abut the underside of inturned flanges 26 and 27 and position the push button portion 40 below the cover plate and its aperture 17. The leading portion of tongue plate 16 lies upon and is held upwardly of the base web and latch plate by the tongue stripper plate 64.

Upon the application of a load to the safety belt straps 24, 25 the inserted pre-assembled locking means transmits the load through buckle base between the straps providing a strong reliable buckle construction, though the pre-assembly is merely pushed into the base. As best seen in FIG. 2, loads in strap 25 are transmitted through tongue plate 16 to the catch 44 and its mounting catch plate 41. Catch plate 41 is pivoted on its foot 43 which abuts the base web 22 and forward or first base stop wall 28. The load is then transmitted through the base web and side walls to the knurled bar 78 and the other safety belt strap 24. The direction of load application on the inserted, pre-assembled locking means, indicated generally at 15, tends to more tightly hold it `within the buckle base against the vertical stop wall 28.

To release the inserted, locked tongue plate 16, as seen in FIG. 2, the push button portion 40 of the cornbination push button and catch plate lever is merely digitally pushed through the cover plate aperture 17. The release of the tongue plate is best seen in FIG. 3 with the leading edge of tongue plate 16 lying on the tongue plate stripper 64. Catch 44 is drawn down out of the tongue plate aperture upon depression of the push button and catch plate lever, against the spring bias of spring arms 59 and 60, to release the tongue plate.

The safety belt buckle of the present invention is also very easily disassembled for cleaning, inspection or repair. The cover plate is easily snapped off, strap 24 removed, and the snubber bar means removed. Thereafter, the inserted, pre-assembled locking means may be easily removed from the base by springing wall 65 and web 53 up over the stop projections 29 in base web 22 and pulling the pre-assembly back out the rear of the buckle. The buckle parts are then easily cleaned, inspected or replaced.

The foregoing objects and advantages have been attained by the present invention through the provision of the within described exemplary pre-assembled tongue plate locking means and its operable cooperation with the buckle base.

It should be understood that the foregoing detailed description has been of an exemplary embodiment only of the present invention and that various modifications, adaptations, alterations or modified embodiments thereof may be made within the scope of the present invention.

I claim:

1. In a metal-to-metal safety belt buckle having a metal base including a pair of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by generally flat web portion, each of said walls terminating in an inturned fiange spaced above said web, the provision of:

a preassembled tongue plate locking and push button release means inserted into said base between said web, sidewalls and inturned fianges through one end thereof for releasably locking a tongue plate inserted within said buckle base through an end thereof opposite said one end;

an integral release lever and catch plate member including a push button portion adjacent one end, a pivot foot portion at the other end, and an upstanding catch member in an intermediate portion;

a unitary retainer and mounting means for laterally retaining said lever and catch plate member within said base on assembly thereto, for pivotally mounting said catch plate member within said base on said foot portion and for biasing said push button portion and catch member away from said base web portion toward the sidewall inturned anges;

said base being provided Iwith an apertured cover Plate through which said push button portion may be manually pushed to release an inserted and locked tongue plate; and

said catch plate member is provided with upwardly extending stop arms to abut the underside of each said inturned flange under the bias of said resilient retainer and mounting means and place said push button portion adjacent said cover plate.

2. A metal-to-metal safety belt buckle having a metal base including a pair of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a generally flat web portion, each of said walls terminating in an inturned flange spaced above said web, the provision of:

a preassembled tongue plate locking and push button release means inserted into said base between said web, sidewalls and inturned anges through one end thereof for releasably lockin a tongue plate inserted within said buckle base through an end thereof opposite said one end;

an integral-release lever and catch plate member including a push button portion adjacent one end, a pivot foot portion at the other end and an upstanding catch member in an intermediate portion;

a unitary retainer and mounting means for laterally retaining said lever and catch plate member within said base on assembly thereto, for pivotally rnounting said catch plate member within said base on said foot portion and for biasing said push button portion and catch member away from said base web portion toward the sidewall inturned flange;

a combination stop and guide end wall as said opposite end for stopping said inserted preassembled locking means within said base end for guiding an inserted tongue plate into said opposite end spaced above said web;

second stop means integral with said metal base flat web portion for holding said inserted locking means therein after it is inserted past said second stop means toward said end wall; and

said retainer and mounting means including a pair of inwardly extending flanges under which the foot portion of said catch plate member is pivotally retained, a central vertical wall member which underlies an inserted tongue plate to hold it away from said base web portion and which abuts said second stop means, and spring arm means for biasing said catch plate member away from saidrweb portion.

3. In a metal-to-metal type safety belt buckle having a base, a one piece pivoted locking and release lever to releasably hold a tongue plate inserted into the buckle and an apertured cover plate through which vsaid lever may be manipulated by the buckle user, the provision of: unitary combination mounting, retainer and biasing means for pivotally mounting said lever within said base to pivot about a lower rst end of said lever adjacent one end of said base, for retaining said lever against lateral shifting within said buckle base adjacent said one end, and for biasing a free end of said lever opposite said iirst end away from v said libase into. a position adjacent said apertured cover plate; and v said unitary combination means including a body having spaced upright sidewalls interconnected at their lowerv extremities by a central web and terminating at their upper extremities in inturned flanges, said body portion being of a size and configuration to `be slidably received within said buckle base, said base havingvertical sidewalls, a generally at web portion and inturned sidewall flanges, inwardly ex# tending tabs on said upright sidewalls adjacent one v end thereof to pivotally retain said rst end of said lever thereunder, and spring arm means extending outwardly of said ,body web between said body sidewalls in a direction generally opposite to said body one end to underlie and bias said lever free endl away from said body web. v

4. The provision in a metal-to-metal safety belt buckle as in claim 3 wherein:

said web is provided with a forward cut-out zone between said :tabs to allow said lever irst end to pivotally abut the buckle base web, portions of said web between said zone and side walls abutting a forward portion of said base.V

5. The provision in a metal-to-rnetal safety belt buckle as in Aclaim 3 wherein:

said spring arm means underlying said lever include stop means on the outer extremities thereof to abut rear portions of said lever opposed to said pivoted irst end to `laterally retain said lever pivotally mounted within said base.

6. The provision in a metal-to-metal safety beit buckle as in claim 3 wherein: 4

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,237,258 3/1966 Fisher. 3,131,451 5/1964 Fisher. 3,331,108 7,/1967 Fisher. 3,343,229 9/'1967 Tanaka. 3,364,531 1/1968 lvIoss. 3,378,895 4/1968 Eberhart.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENT-GERNE CERTIFICATE oF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,496,615 February 24, 1970 William Krengel It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected-as shown below:

In the heading to the printed specification, lines 3 to 5, "assignor to Cummings Sander, Inc. Pacoima, Calif. a corporation of California" should read assignor to American Safety Equipment Corp. of California, a Corporation of California Column 2, line 66, "falls" should read walls Column 7, line 34, "as" should read at Signed and sealed this 13th day of October 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. E.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patens 

